Korean ‘Crane and Tortoise’ Jar Soars to $344,400 in ACES Gallery’s Fall Estates Auction

Top results include a Korean Joseon Dynasty jar at $344,400, a Kazuya Sakai collage at $86,100, and a Paul Horiuchi washi paper collage at $67,650

Stamford, CT — October 2026 — An important 18th century blue and white Crane and Tortoise ovoid jar from the Joseon Dynasty blasted through its $10,000 high estimate to finish at $344,400 in ACES Gallery’s Fall Estates Auction, held October 18. The jar was the top lot in a 452-lot sale that totaled $940,000. All prices quoted are inclusive of the buyer’s premium.

The jar, 13½ inches tall and the same in diameter, was decorated in underglaze blue. Divine tortoises and cranes were arranged in alternating circular medallions, each with a cloud or auspicious vapor. The iconography connects the vessel to the Shipjangsaeng tradition, representing the Ten Symbols of Longevity in late Joseon Dynasty art. “I had my suspicions about the jar when I found it sitting on the living room floor of an unassuming Bedford, New York home with a potted plant inside,” said Alex Fonarow, appraiser, auctioneer, and owner of ACES Gallery. “Diligent research, several trips to the library, and a strong marketing plan drew the gaze of eager bidders and they all agreed it was the real McCoy.”

The sale drew from nearly 50 prominent local estates and spanned contemporary and fine art, Western art, decorative arts, Asian art, silver, watches and timepieces, jewelry, collectibles, and books. Bidding was conducted virtually via telephone, absentee, and online platforms.

Fine Art

A mixed media collage with washi paper on canvas by Northwest School artist Paul Horiuchi (Japanese/American, 1906-1999), titled Remnants of Order, signed and dated ‘66’ lower left and housed in a 66½ inch by 79-inch frame, carried a $10,000 high estimate but realized $67,650. Fonarow noted that the work came from a mid-century “time capsule” home in Larchmont, New York, practically untouched since the piece was hung over the fireplace in the late 1960s.

A large mixed media and collage on canvas by Kazuya Sakai (Japanese/Argentine, 1927-2001), titled New York II (1964), an abstract composition with gestural paint applications alongside collage elements including newspaper clippings and typographic fragments, measuring 59 inches by 49 inches, also carried a $10,000 high estimate but drew bidding to $86,100. The work had been purchased from a gallery in Lenox Hill in the early 1970s and spent years in storage.

Western Art

Western art was led by an oil on panel by James Bama (1926-2022), titled The Rookie Bronc Rider, Stampede Grounds, Cody Wyoming, signed ‘Bama’ and dated ‘74’ lower right, the frame measuring 27¼ inches by 33¼ inches. It brought $30,750, double the $15,000 high estimate. Bama was an American artist admired for his realistic Western renderings.

A tapestry produced in a collaboration between artist Alexander Calder (1898-1976) and the Guatemalan company Bon Art, titled Floating Circles, 102 inches by 72 inches, dated and numbered (“58/100 CA 74”), sold for $26,880, more than doubling the $12,000 high estimate. Bon Art was established in the early 1970s to benefit relief efforts following an earthquake in Nicaragua.

A bronze statue by Yevgeny (Eugene) Alexandrovich Lanceray (Russian, 1848-1886), titled Zaporozhian Cossack After Battle (1874), signed in Cyrillic on the base and bearing a Chopin Foundry, St. Petersburg mark, overall 18 inches tall, brought $20,480, double the $10,000 high estimate. The figural group depicted a warrior on horseback alongside another horse.

Asian Art and Decorative Arts

A 19th/20th century Korean School Chaekgeori (books and things) four-panel screen, overall 32¼ inches by 64½ inches, executed in ink and color on paper mounted to panels, sold for $10,455, far exceeding the $1,200 high estimate. The panels depicted traditional motifs including books, ceramics, peaches symbolizing longevity, and peonies representing wealth and honor.

A late 19th/early 20th century Qing Dynasty style dark wood Hongmu (rosewood) settee featuring a triple-panel backrest containing a large central rectangular Dali marble inset fetched $8,610, far surpassing the $1,000 high estimate. The settee was purchased by a Hong Kong businessman for his primary office between 1900 and 1920.

A Tiffany Studios damascene favrile art glass lamp shade with fine green and iridescent design, signed ‘L.C.T.’ on the upper rim, mounted on a Tiffany Studios bronze harp floor lamp base with tripod feet bearing the impressed mark ‘Tiffany Studios New York 423,’ sold for $8,960 against a $4,000 high estimate.

A photographic portrait of Kaiser Wilhelm II in admiral’s uniform, signed and dated 1905 at the lower center margin, presented in a 19-inch by 15-inch burled wood frame with a plaque reading “Ocean-Wettfahrt / 1905,” sold for $10,455, far exceeding the $500 high estimate.

A diamond eternity band with an octagonal profile and a 6.25 total carat weight, designed as a tapering infinity band of channel-set baguettes in yellow gold, rose to $5,888, well above the $900 high estimate. A Chelsea Works figural soft-paste porcelain scent bottle depicting a lady with two children and a baby lamb with floral collar brought $1,890 against a $400 high estimate.

For more information about ACES Gallery and upcoming auctions, visit ACES Gallery.